My precious child
by Josh Seragaki
Summary: A short story about Orochimaru and their child; Mitsuki. In this fic, Orochimaru is androgynous. I'd rather not write them as male or female. Please, do not start commenting Orochimaru's gender. Please be respectful, that's all I ask.
1. Prologue

"So you actually did it...Does he have a name?"  
Suigetsu crossed his arms as he stared at the young boy who was lying in a bed with wires attached to his arms and legs.  
Orochimaru adjusted the wires a little while gazing down at the boy.  
"Mitsuki." He replied in a quiet voice.  
"His name is Mitsuki."  
"Hm. So what do you plan to do with him?"  
Orochimaru set one finger over his mouth and smirked at Suigetsu.  
"That's a secret."  
Suigetsu was suspicious as to what Orochimaru was planning to do with this boy he created, but instead of awkwardly continuing the conversation, he left the room. Orochimaru stood in silence while observing the sleeping child whose silky light blue hair captivated him even more. He was proud of this project, so proud that a smile grew across his face.  
"Mitsuki..."  
He whispered, gently stroking the boy's hair.  
"You are very special to me...I hope you grow to learn that..."


	2. Chapter One

The halls were dark and the atmosphere cold…The sound of bare-footsteps bounced off the thin, hall walls and echoed through the emptiness. Mitsuki glanced around to find the door to a room where his parent would be in, then came to a stop when he found slowly opened the bedroom door and entered a large room in search for his parent. He looked around the area, hoping to find them, then spotted a round bed at the top of a wide staircase.

He tip-toed up the stairs and crawled onto the bed with as much strength as possible. Mitsuki crossed his legs and sat down to gaze at his parent and run his fingers through his long, thin, raven hair that reached down to his waist. The person was laid on their stomach with their face in their pillow, sleeping peacefully. Mitsuki began to lie down beside Orochimaru, and snuggled close to them underneath the blanket. Curling his toes with a shiver and pulling his knees to his chest, Mitsuki tried falling asleep in the cold, but the futon just wasn't enough to keep him warm. A pair of bright yellow eyes opened in the darkness, looking around the room.

"Mitsuki…"

The older one whispered, checking to see if their child was awake. The tired boy instantly sat up with alert and dipped his head.

"I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru! I won't do it again! I didn't think you'd notice; please don't be mad-!"

"What a silly child you are...Why would I be mad?"

Mitsuki was surprised to know that his parent wasn't upset at him sneaking into their bed past midnight.

"I…I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru…I didn't—"

"You don't have to keep calling me that, Mitsuki. Address me as your parent, it's as simple as that…"

They placed one hand on Mitsuki's right cheek, stroking the side of his face with their thumb gently with a smile. Mitsuki set his hand on top of Orochimaru's, blushing at the pleasing warmth of his parent's soft palm that caressed his face.

"Now, then…"

Orochimaru settled themselves comfortably in their king-sized-bed with a quiet yawn.

"I think it's time to go back to sleep…A child your age needs good rest."

They covered Mitsuki's body with the thick blanket and rested his head on the pillows behind him.

"Sleep well, Mitsuki. My child."


	3. Chapter Two

Mitsuki followed Orochimaru down the halls of the hideout, staring at the designs on the walls and admiring the snake candle holders. He looked away from the walls and ran towards Orochimaru's side.

"Hey, can I go outside today?"

Orochimaru thought for a moment and glanced down at him.

"Have you eaten?"

Mitsuki nodded once.

"Then I suppose it's alright..."

They headed into Orochimaru's office and pulled a book from the bookshelf. Orochimaru then picked an empty vial and a half-empty vial. Mitsuki stood in the door-way of the room, watching them mix different liquids. Orochimaru turned their head to Mitsuki, tilting their head.

"Is something wrong..?"

He lowered his head and stared at the ground while nervously stuttering.

"I...I-um...I just wanted...I was wondering i-if...you would go ou-outside with m-me..."

Orochimaru gave Mitsuki a reassuring smile and set down the vials.

"Of course."

* * *

The sun was hidden behind the dark clouds, making the forest dark and gloomy. Mitsuki was disappointed as he stood in the darkness of the forest, hoping to see a field of flowers with a great amount of sunlight shining down on him in a clear blue sky.

Orochimaru took notice to Mitsuki's sorrow, then set one hand on his right shoulder and said  
"Follow me."

Mitsuki watched Orochimaru make their way past the trees and bushes of the forest, and after a minute, he raced after them. The two of them stopped at a mountain that had a tunnel leading to the other side with vines hanging over the entrance. Orochimaru pushed aside some of the vines to let Mitsuki enter, then continued leading the way. As they grew deeper and deeper into the cave, a light broke in and tons of flowering vines were revealed. Moss was covering the walls and ceiling, mushrooms were sprouted from the ground and with each step, there was a flower.

Mitsuki came to a stop as Orochimaru did. His eyes widened as he gasped at the sight of a large waterfall pouring into a lake with flowers and sakura trees all around the area. The clouds were gone and the sky was a beautiful baby blue with just enough clouds decorating it.

"Amazing...!"

"This is what you wanted to see, correct?"

"Yes! I didn't know this was here! Thank you for showing me this!"

Orochimaru chuckled at Mitsuki's excitement. The sight of his happiness was pleasing to Orochimaru, and made them feel relieved a little. They gazed at the scenery before them, cherishing the moment while the could.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" They asked, watching the petals drift off the sakura trees.

"Sometimes it would get lonely in the hideout...so I would come here to relax..."

Mitsuki stared up at his parent with the sudden feeling that he should say or do something. Nervously, he bumped Orochimaru's left arm with his fist, in a friendly way.

"But, you won't be lonely now that I'm here, right?"

Orochimaru was silent for a second, and soon his lips curved into a smile.

"Yes, that's right.

Since you are..my precious child."


	4. Chapter Three

"What are you working on?"

Mitsuki looked over Orochimaru's shoulders and stared down at the book on the desk infront of them.

"I'm studying." "Studying? What's that?" Orochimaru glanced up at Mitsuki, then down at their book.

"Studying is devoting your time and attention to acquiring knowledge on a specific subject."

"Ohhh..."

Mitsuki nodded once he understood, then hurried to the bookshelf and pulled out a random book. He sat down across from Orochimaru and opened to the first page with the eager desire to study. He eyed the kanji on the page while struggling to understand it. Mitsuki let out an excited gasp when he saw the sign for "Snake" written on the paper. He recognized it from Orochimaru's bedroom, and happily kicked his feet up and down.

"Snake! This says ' _Snake_!"

"You're sharp. Where did you learn that so quickly?"

"From your room. You have a big sign above your bed that says _"Snake"._

Orochimaru chuckled and closed their book.

"Mitsuki, do you wish to learn how to read?"

"Well...yes. Actually, I'd love to. I'd love to learn anything you offer to teach me. You're a genius, you practically know everything."

"Well, I don't know about that. There are plenty of things in the world that I have yet to learn."

"Really?"

Mitsuki hopped off his chair and to Orochimaru's side as they searched for a different book.

"But you're so smart."

Orochimaru pushed the book back in the right place and slid up the spine of a thin book, pulling it out of the shelf with one finger.

"That may be true, however the world is full of astonishment. There will always be something to discover."

Mitsuki thought for a moment, then grabbed onto Orochimaru's right arm.

"Hey, can you teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

"Anything."

Orochimaru snickered.

"Very well, then. I'll teach you anything you want to know."

* * *

The clouds ominously huddled together, their dark curves mocking the landscape, with a crack they burst open and the rain, slow at first, plummeted to the dry ground. The downpour increased as time went on, soaking the ground and turning dirt to mud. The roaring thunder blocked out the sound of light footsteps, making their way through the forest. A man clad in a black cloak with a hood covering his face stepped lightly past the trees with a sword in his right hand. He stopped before Orochimaru's hideout and clutched his sword. Yamato, who was standing guard of the hideout, braced himself of the suspicious man before him.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?"

The man remained silent. He lifted his sword and pointed the blade to Yamato. This triggered Yamato, and caused him to push his hands together to form a jutsu sign.

"You won't get past me!"

Sudden walls of wood burst out of the ground and raced towards the man.

"We'll see about that.." Hissed the man that smirked at his opponent who he saw as "weak". Yamato gasped to see the man right beside him.

 _"H-He dodged my attack!? How?"_

He clenched his jaw in pain once the man forced his blade into Yamato's stomach. The man twisted the blade, leading Yamato to scream and fall to his knees. He yanked his blade out of Yamato's stomach, wiped the blood off with a cloth and entered the hideout...disappearing into the darkness.


	5. Chapter Four

It was so quiet. So, so quiet. Mitsuki laid still in his bed, his eyes locked onto the snake designed ceiling. Something was wrong. Yeah, something was definitely wrong. Mitsuki pushed himself upward, straightened his back, cracked his neck, and stretched his arms out to wake up his body a little. His eyes darted around the room, first at his desk, his dresser, then..the door. It's golden knob that shined in the candlelight was so tempting, it felt like it was speaking to him, like it was just _asking_ Mitsuki to grab a hold of it and turn it. This feeling gave Mitsuki the need to get out of bed and head towards the door. So he did, but once he was close enough to the door, he stopped. He could hear voices, familiar ones; Perhaps they were coming from down the hall, he thought. As the voices became clearer and louder, Mitsuki pressed his ear against the crack between the door and the wall, curious to hear the conversation.

" _Was it just me, or did it look like that guy had the Sharingan?"_

" _I noticed that too. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take him down. I could barely lay a finger on him, he disappeared as soon as I confronted him. But, right now, we should focus on healing Yamato-kun."_

" _Yeah, right. I guess his kekkei genkai wasn't enough to stop the intruder. Will he live?"_

" _He'll live. He's had worse. Besides, I-"_

Mitsuki pulled away from the door as soon as he heard one of the two stop talking. Maybe they knew he was eavesdropping.

" _Take Yamato to my lab, will you? I'll be right back."_

" _Roger."_

 _Oh no. He's been caught._

In a panic, Mitsuki jumped onto his bed, pulled the covers over his body, and shut his eyes tight enough to seem like he was sleeping just before the bedroom door opened. Peeking in through the small opening, was none other than his parent; Orochimaru. Stepping further into the room, he closed the door behind him, pulled out the chair from Mitsuki's desk, and sat down, one leg crossed over the other.

"Child, I know you're awake. There's no need to pretend."

 _He's been caught red-handed. He'll probably get scolded now. If he showed his face, he'll show that he's guilty. But if he tries to remain silent, he'll impose Orochimaru of being a fool, thinking he'll fall for that._

Slowly, and submissively, Mitsuki rose from his bed, his blanket falling off of his head and onto his lap. Right now, he was ready to be punished. Even though he may not have done much wrong, he still felt the need to apologize. So, he bowed his head to his parent, and apologized properly.

"I'm sorry...I heard your conversation with Suigetsu. I'm really sorry….for eavesdropping."

"Raise your head, Mitsuki. I'm not upset."

"You're not?"

"Not at all. I'd like to talk to you about something."

He scooted himself to the edge of the bed so he was closer to Orochimaru.

"How would you like….to undergo some training? You're about eleven right now, I think you may be ready to learn how to fight. How does that sound?"

"That…"

Mitsuki had to think about it for a second.

 _Training? As in, learning how to become a ninja? It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. It's quite an offer, a hard one to turn down. And, since this is his parent asking him this, how could he say refuse?_

"I..I'd like that. Yes."  
"Really? Then, we'll begin your training tomorrow evening. As soon as I'm done healing Yamato-kun."

Orochimaru stood up from the chair, ready to head back out of the room, but they were stopped by their son's sudden "thank you".

"U-um, thank you! For not..being mad at me. And, thank you, for offering to train me."

They smiled, watching Mitsuki's cheeks flush to a light shade of pink. Orochimaru ruffled their son's curly blue hair with a chuckle. After that, he exited the room.

Mitsuki was going to be trained. This was so exciting for him, he could easily just burst into tears of joy. But instead, he flopped back down onto his bed, hands locked behind his head, and feet crossed.

Epilogue:

"He is no longer a cracked "vessel" made of the earth...But, rather, a brilliant "moon" who illuminates the night sky..that sounds about right."

"You can't pour anything into a chipped cup, after all. And yet..surely, the chipped "moon" in the night sky will one day become…?


End file.
